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Dr. Universe: How do trees help the air? – Ella, 12

August 23, 2019 rcwebber

Take a big, deep breath. As you inhale and exhale, you can probably feel the air taking up space in your lungs. The air we breathe is made up of a few different things. It includes gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide—just to name a few. Animals breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. But in the plant world, it’s the opposite. Trees, plants, and even algae in the ocean, take in carbon dioxide from the air and, using the energy of the sun, transform it into the oxygen we all breathe. Read More ...

Dr. Universe: What is the most smelliest fruit in the world? -Tiana, 9

January 2, 2019 rcwebber

Our world is full of fruits that have all kinds of delightful smells. Maybe you’ve smelled the sweetness of watermelon, pineapple, peach, papaya, or mango. But you might also be wondering about the most stinky fruit in the world. When I got your question, I asked my friend Lydia Tymon, a plant scientist at Washington State University. The first stinky fruit she thought of was the durian, a large, round fruit that grows mostly in Southeast Asia. The fruit is about a foot wide with a greenish-brown husk that has lots of spikes on the outside. Read More ...

How is chocolate made? -Lydia, 6, Bedfordshire, England

December 5, 2018 rcwebber

Dear Lydia,

A few thousand years ago, humans discovered that beans inside the bright green pods of cacao trees could be made into a real treat.

Dear Dr. Universe: What food is sweet and good to eat? – Sophia, Pullman, WA

June 21, 2018 rcwebber

Dear Sophia,

There are quite a few foods that are sweet and good to eat. A lot of them are fruit, said my friend Pablo Monsivais. He’s an associate professor at the Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.

Dear Dr. Universe: Why do worms come out when it rains? -Courtney, Moscow, ID

May 1, 2018 rcwebber

Dear Courtney,

That’s a great observation. When it rains, worms sometimes leave their home in the soil and wiggle their way up to the surface, where we see them on sidewalks and roads.

Dear Dr. Universe: Why is the map the way it is? - Pablo, Spokane, Wash.

September 19, 2017 rcwebber

Dear Pablo,

Next time you eat an orange, try getting the peel off in one piece. Next, try to flatten out your peel. You’ll likely find it a bit tricky to make something round perfectly flat.

The same is true when we map our three-dimensional world onto a flat surface. It doesn’t work very well. That’s what I found out when I went to visit my friend Rick Rupp, a Washington State University researcher.

Rupp is an expert on geographic information systems, which can help us capture and analyze the geography of our planet. He explained that maps can show us all kinds of … » More …

Why does meat get brown on the grill? – Christina, Seattle, Wash.

May 30, 2017 rcwebber

Dear Christina,

You know summer is just around the corner when the smell of barbecue is in the air. It’s a great question you ask and it leads us to the Meats Lab at Washington State University. That’s where I met up with my friend and animal scientist, Jan Busboom.

Dear Dr. Universe: Why do animals hibernate? -Jarrett T., 10, Edinburgh, IN

December 19, 2016 rcwebber

Dear Jarrett,

Animals can get through winter in all kinds of ways. Us cats like to curl up on a cozy couch. Some penguins huddle in groups to create heat. A lot of birds fly south to warmer weather. Perhaps you put on mittens and a coat.

How is ice cream made? - Israel, 7

July 7, 2016 rcwebber

Dear Israel,

It just so happens that July is National Ice Cream Month. To celebrate, I decided to whip up some homemade ice cream. You can try it at home, too.

What is the smallest insect on Earth? -Laurenz, 8, Molino, Philippines

June 30, 2016 rcwebber

Dear Laurenz,

When I saw your question, I set out to explore with my bug net and a magnifying glass. I was searching all around for tiny insects when I ran into my friend Laura Lavine, a Washington State University scientist who studies bugs.

She said there are nearly a million different kinds of insects on Earth. The smallest of all the known ones are called fairyflies.